Lambing prep

Location
cornwall
Hi all, just after some advice, lambing starts for me at the end of the week. Unfortunately for various reasons I'm behind with getting everything ready. Normally a pressure wash each hurdle both sides that I use for the individual pens. Just wondering if everyone does this? Or am I going over the top? Wondering whether to skip it this year?

Thanks in advance.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
How long have the (timber?) hurdles been set aside? Presumably from last lambing time and in a dry place? If so, they will be carrying far less bacteria than the sheep you will be putting in them.

My wooden lambing hurdles will be 25-30 years old and I have never even thought about pressure washing them, any more than I have disinfecting the sheep.

If it makes you feel better, you’d be better mixing some Virkon in a knapsack sprayer and spraying them liberally with that when you’ve built the pens, but I can’t see that making a lot of difference either if they’ve been away from sheep for 6+ months.
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
Mine have all been sat in the shed or wedged in a gap in a hedge all year since last time… I’ll just drag them out of hedges as and when I remember where I left them and use them straight away
 
Mine have all been sat in the shed or wedged in a gap in a hedge all year since last time… I’ll just drag them out of hedges as and when I remember where I left them and use them straight away
Yes this is always our problem, where the hell have all the hurdles gone? It's surprising how many you can use for "temporary purposes" . Regarding what the OP asked. I have never power washed anything in the sheep shed. The most important thing is good quality colostrum and plenty of it
 

sheepdogtrail

Member
Livestock Farmer
I also never power wash anything in the jug. My panels are left outside all year until I may need one.
I always sweep or blow out the floor of the jug though. I would suggest anti bacterial wipes though if you are concerned about the hurdle without power washing.
 

slackjawedyokel

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
I give my hurdles a spray with an ag disinfectant (knapsack sprayer) if I get a chance. It ‘seems’ to reduce infection (infectious keratitis, watery mouth), but that might just be a placebo affect.

If I’m hard pressed, that gets skipped.
 

exmoor dave

Member
Location
exmoor, uk
Hi all, just after some advice, lambing starts for me at the end of the week. Unfortunately for various reasons I'm behind with getting everything ready. Normally a pressure wash each hurdle both sides that I use for the individual pens. Just wondering if everyone does this? Or am I going over the top? Wondering whether to skip it this year?

Thanks in advance.


Usually set the quad sprayer up with a tank of iodine type disinfectant and spray the plywood hurdles as we pack them away,
Could do the same as the hurdles are set out just as easily.

The plywood hurdles don't like being pressure washed much, but we do it every 2/3 years.


Metal hurdles go back to their primary role of covering gaps in fences and hedges 😅
 

sahara

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Somerset
We use hydrated lime. Assemble the maternity wing with all the plywood boards and give a generous dusting. Repeat in-between each mothering up group. It seems to work. Make sure your PPE is good though!
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
Last year I tried mucking pens out after every ewe and lamb and putting lime down before bedding up again and I genuinely think I had more watery mouth than I normally get with them on a deep bed
 

Jonp

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Gwent
Before lambing starts I heavily lime the dirt floor of my shed. Straw on top. Mothering pens don't get mucked out between visits just put a sprinkling of lime and more straw. Always remove cleansings and ensure navels are dipped asap after birth.
Not had any watery mouth etc for a long time.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Before lambing starts I heavily lime the dirt floor of my shed. Straw on top. Mothering pens don't get mucked out between visits just put a sprinkling of lime and more straw. Always remove cleansings and ensure navels are dipped asap after birth.
Not had any watery mouth etc for a long time.
I have a block of 50 pens up the middle of the shed that I religiously muck out, but when the shite hits the fan in the second week and I'm full up of problem ewes I just make pens round the shed out of prattley hurdles on top of the 3 week old bedding, I can't think iv ever had any problems with these pens.
 

Jonp

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Gwent
Usually when the first ewe lambs the sh!t hits the fan...about 20 more decide to lamb all together all at once...they all end up with little spray dot patterns on them so I can match them up to pen them! Settles down after that...they must hold the lambs in and not want to be first.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Usually when the first ewe lambs the sh!t hits the fan...about 20 more decide to lamb all together all at once...they all end up with little spray dot patterns on them so I can match them up to pen them! Settles down after that...they must hold the lambs in and not want to be first.
I enjoy the first week, got plenty of pens and space, second week I'm fed up and have no space, couple of years ago a had 50 triplets lamb in a day on my own and 550 ewe lambs where get tight on grass and got out, that was killer of a day.
 

Jonp

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Gwent
I generally enjoy most of lambing as I've reduced down to just over 100 pretty placid ewes. No triplets this year which is great. If the weather's good the lambs go out after 2 days so it's easy, when the weather's bad got to watch where you tred as sheep everywhere. Nail biting by week 4 as shed needs to be free for cows to calf.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
I ' ve got a couple hundred home made wooden hurdles that must be 20 years old. As lambing slows and I start taking pens down I creosote about 20% every year and stack them on pallets in an airy shed .
That’s very organised. I’m just mucking out from last lambing
image.jpg
. 😳
 

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